After the Fire
by Roslyn Drycof
Summary: 8th yr. The war changed everyone, in some way. When Harry is attacked in the safety of Hogwarts by someone no one would expect, his savior is none other than Draco Malfoy. They both soon discover that their lives will be permanently changed in more ways than one by the attack, and Draco's assistance. HPDM, mpreg, very minor non-con HPGW CH1 only!
1. Chapter 1

**After the Fire**

By: Roslyn Drycof

Disclaimer: Of course I'm not JK Rowling, and obviously I don't own any of these characters

Warning: pregnancy, male pregnancy, HPDM, minor HPGW

* * *

It was the October after the Battle of Hogwarts, and the school looked just as it always had before the terrible events of the spring. While the atmosphere of the students was somewhat more subdued than before the second rise of Voldemort, there was certainly more of a carefree spirit going around than during the Carrow's rule. Free of fear of the Death Eaters, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors alike walked amongst the halls as easygoing schoolmates. Even the younger Slytherins were often seen in the company of the other Houses.

Only the upper year Slytherins stayed away from their peers, usually slipping through the halls between classes almost like silent wraiths. They were on probation by the Ministry of Magic, allowed to finish their schooling to become productive members of society as an alternative to their punishments handed down for their active involvement with the Death Eaters. And it was only thanks to the combined efforts of Harry Potter and Headmistress Minerva McGonagall that they'd been allowed such leniency. If it had been up the Ministry, they would have been tossed into Azkaban for up to five years, the maximum sentence permissible for a juvenile offender.

Not all of the Slytherins were exactly thankful for Harry Potter's intervention, as that certainly placed them in his debt, but they kept their thoughts to themselves. They knew that while they may be resentful of the interference, they knew they had gotten off lightly for their crimes. Many of their parents were incarcerated in Azkaban, some up to the life sentence, and if they had escaped a prison term, they were on magical probation and facing reparations in the thousands of galleons.

The Malfoys for instance, were especially hard hit. Lucius was put in Azkaban for a life sentence. Narcissa was on magical probation for life, and that leniency was only due to Harry Potter's testimony that she had saved his life. Their reparations were the highest meted out, at seventy-five percent of their fortune plus all non-monetary items in their Gringott's accounts not classified strictly as a family heirloom. The Ministry had wanted to make an example of Draco by throwing him in Azkaban with his father, but Harry Potter had once again come to the rescue to testify about Draco's unwillingness to identify him at Malfoy Manor that fateful day he and his friends had been captured. So Draco had escaped Azkaban, and while he was allowed to return to Hogwarts for a repeat of his seventh year, he was stripped of his Prefect status, banned from the Quidditch team, on magical probation and unable to perform magic strictly outside of the times indicated on his timetable that he was in class, and a tracking spell was placed on his person so that he was able to be located at all times.

It was because of these indignities, that Draco became the most withdrawn Slytherin of them all. He rarely spoke when not in class, and even then he rarely spoke up. He sat at the corner of the Slytherin table for meals, and was always the first to leave the Great Hall. Because he was not allowed to attend Hogsmeade weekends without an assigned guardian, and Quidditch held no allure now that he was unable to play, he did not leave the castle. Indeed, if he did not have to eat or go to class, he probably wouldn't have left his dormitory at all.

Harry hated it. At first, he'd been glad to be rid of the taunting and fighting that had plagued him for years courtesy of Malfoy and his goons, but after a few weeks he'd started to miss it. Oh, not the bloody noses or bruised ribs, and certainly not the jibes about Sirius. But he missed having the think of witty repartees and seeing the challenging gleam in Malfoy's eye whenever they had fought. He also missed having one person in the entire school besides his friends who didn't fawn over him. And even with his friends, there left someone to be desired because Hermione kept talking about how they had to seize the opportunity their fame gave them to fix the wrongs in the world, and Ron went on and on about how he and Harry could become Aurors after graduating without having to go through Auror training, and Ginny? Well, Ginny was the worst. She had expected their relationship to pick up where it left off, and Harry strangely felt no desire to rekindle their romance. Well, he supposed it wasn't so strange after all when he really thought about it, because he knew why he didn't want to date her.

When he had saved Malfoy from the fiendfyre that day, he had felt something he had never felt before. Adrenaline pumping through his system, heat scorching his skin and sweat running down his face and into his eyes, he had felt Malfoy's arms clasped around his waist and his chest pressed firmly to his back and felt desire rise up. At the time, he'd tried to ignore it, reasoning that the life threatening situation had merely confused his adolescent body. But then when he'd seen Malfoy sitting in the remains of the Great Hall, shirtless while burns on his back being healed by a mediwitch, he had felt that insane desire reappear. He'd been horrified to see the scar tracing its way down his torso from the curse Harry had shouted at him in sixth year, but along with that horror had been the nearly overwhelming itch to caress the thin, white line breaking up the harsh beauty of his chest and abdomen.

And so when Ginny had come up to him the first day of term and asked him why he had not asked her out again, he had evasively told her that he was no longer interested in her. She had angrily demanded why, certain that someone else had replaced her in his affections. Of course, he'd vehemently denied that, but she had seen the way his eyes had darted to the side, visions of Malfoy's scarred chest distracting him. Since then, she was relentless, shadowing him when they both had free time, watching his interactions with other students. He was glad for the Marauder's Map and his invisibility cloak and took to escaping the tower whenever possible. He would skip meals, dart between classes using infrequently used corridors, and fall into bed late after everyone else was asleep.

Hermione and Ron were frustrated with his behavior, but they were blind to how bad Ginny was behaving. They didn't see the somewhat mad look in her eyes when she looked at him. They didn't know the things she desperately said to him sometimes, the pleas she made to him. She wanted to be the hero's wife. She wanted him to save her from being the youngest of a boisterous family. She wanted him to save her from the nightmares that woke up her.

But how could Harry save her from his nightmares when he had his own? How could he save her from the boisterous family that he loved because of the fact that they were so enthusiastic and loving? How could he marry her when the last thing he saw before he went to bed and the first thing he woke up to was the vision of silver eyes flashing before him? He couldn't. And so he hoped that with time she would realize her efforts were futile.

It wasn't until the thirteenth of October, a Friday, that he realized that she would never give him up. That somehow, during the war, something had happened to her to permanently unbalance her. He was wandering the fourth floor corridor just past the Arithmancy classroom, a class he had never taken but was secretly intrigued about, and suddenly a wave of heat coursed through his body. He paused, hoping it would pass. Instead, it steadily built until he felt like he was sweltering inside his school robes. Confused, he made his way into the Arithmancy classroom and sat down at one of the desks. He threw off his robe and unbuttoned his shirt, but it didn't help. What was wrong with him? He felt the edges of his vision going black and suddenly heard footsteps nearby.

"Help," he tried to shout, but it only came out as a croak. His throat was so dry. He swallowed harsly.

A feminine voice responded, but he couldn't make out who it was. Her voice rose and fell, and he thought it sounded friendly. Relieved, he smiled weakly. A hand touched his arm, and he had the thought that perhaps he could stand and she would assist him, when all of a sudden her touch felt like a hundred fiery needles jabbing at his skin. He gasped, and bent over.

Her hand was removed, and the pain went away, only to come back twofold as both her hands suddenly grasped his face. Lips crashed onto his and he felt tears leaking out of his eyes from the sensory overload. The pain was enormous, and it frightened him, but what frightened him more was the fact that he was harder than he had ever been in his life.

"No," he cried out weakly as her fingers deftly undid his shirt buttons.

Her soft voice murmured reassurances that he tuned out, as they were lies. Lies, because if she were truly helping him she would be taking him to the infirmary. Instead, she slid off his shirt and unbuttoned his trousers. He jerked back when she touched the hard length of his erection through his boxers. The touch was painful, but it was also pleasurable in some twisted way that made him want to thrust into her hand at the same time he wanted to crawl away.

_What are you doing? Why are you doing this? Stop!_ His mind cried out, as his mouth refused to form the words. Tears slid from his eyes.

When her mouth touched him, the soft, wetness engulfing his length, his vision went black and he blessedly lost consciousness. Vaguely, as though he were in a dream, he could feel her fiery touches still, the pain-pleasure twisting through his scorching hot body. On some level, he knew if he were truly unconscious he wouldn't be able to still feel her, but he was glad that he could only feel the vague impressions. Even those vague impressions made him want to scream, to cry at the horror of what was knew when she lowered her body to his, and he mentally beat the floor with his fists. He felt the heat of her surrounding his length, and felt a part of himself break.

It felt like forever, a torturous hell that consumed his soul, when it had only been minutes, and suddenly all the heat coalesced into one shard that flowed through his body and out his hard length buried deep inside the nameless girl, and he finally blacked out completely.

* * *

Harry woke to the feel of a wet cloth being pressed to forehead, wiping away the perspiration. Cold, clumsy hands were trying to cover his nakedness. He whimpered, fearful that it was the woman that had done this to him. A soft voice murmured, "Shh, you're safe," and he relaxed at the male voice. It was a familiar voice, and although he couldn't place it, there was a gentility to it.

He opened his eyes after a few strokes of the cool cloth on his face, and he was stunned at what he saw. Draco Malfoy, an uncharacteristically tender look on his face, was dipping a white cloth into a small bowl of water. "Malfoy?" Harry rasped out, blinking repeatedly as if the vision before his eyes would change.

The tenderness in Malfoy's eyes quickly disappeared, but his slender hands were still gentle as they pressed the cloth again to Harry's face. "Potter," he acknowledged.

Harry was mortified that it was Malfoy who was tending to him, and he tried to wriggle away. Flashes of what had happened to him struck, and he was suddenly gagging furiously. Quickly, Malfoy grasped his shoulders and turned him on his side so that he could vomit onto the floor beside him. The retching lasted for several long minutes until Harry curled up into the fetal position, exhausted. He heard a quiet "Scourgify," and the mess was gone.

More time passed, silently, and Harry hoped that Malfoy would leave. He was thankful for the other boy's help, but at the same time he felt shame at being caught like this coursing through him. He was the hero of the wizarding world, and here he was, attacked by a single girl. Tears, for the second time that day, leaked out of his eyes.

"What happened?" Malfoy's question was quietly uttered.

Harry wiped his tears and slowly sat up, gathering his robe around his naked body. He looked at the floor as he whispered, brokenly, "I felt so hot…and came in here. And I thought she…thought she would help and she…she…"

He couldn't continue, but motioned with his hand toward his lap. A strangled sound came from Malfoy's throat and Harry looked up to see shock widening the other boy's grey eyes. "She?"

Harry nodded, reddening. He felt so ashamed. He had heard about other men being hurt by other men, and he'd seen the effects of women hurt by men during the war, but he had never heard of a man being overcome by a small woman. And she had been small, that he remembered. Why had he not been able to throw her off? Why hadn't he been able to resist? He shrunk into himself, inching away from Malfoy.

A hand touched his shoulder, and Harry jerked his face up at the gentleness of the touch. Surprise still shone on Malfoy's eyes, but there was compassion there too. "I believe you. Who was it? And why did she…?"

Harry shrugged wearily. "I couldn't tell. She's small, that's all I remember. Why? I don't know."

More vague images of the incident filtered through his mind and he pressed his fist to his mouth. His stomach roiled dangerously. Malfoy's hand was suddenly rubbing soothing circles on his back, and slowly the nausea and the images receded.

"Why are you helping me?" Harry asked after a moment. He didn't understand why his former rival was being so nice.

Malfoy let out a small bark of laughter. "Honestly, Potter? I don't know. I don't hate you anymore, if that's what you want to know. But I planned on ignoring you so I could just make it through this year. I was heading to the library when I saw you through the doorway and I suppose…I knew I couldn't just leave you like this."

It was a simple explanation, and Harry accepted it. He still wondered why Malfoy hadn't just brought Madame Pomfrey, although he was secretly glad because he would've hated the kindly witch to see him after such a shameful incident. Being another boy, Malfoy probably understood that.

"Were you a virgin?" Malfoy asked a few minutes later.

Harry suddenly jerked away, wondering why Malfoy was asking this. Was his tender behavior of the past several minutes just pretend so he could ferret out the information he needed to know to later taunt him? He would've believed something like that during their previous school years. He looked into Malfoy's eyes, searching. There was no malice hiding there, only open curiosity and sympathy. It was startling to see, since he'd never seen more than malice or fear shining in those silver depths in years previous. "Yeah," he mumbled, looking away.

"I thought for sure you and she-weasel…" Malfoy said, leaving the rest of his sentence hanging.

Harry shrugged again. "I didn't want to while the war was going on and then…and then I couldn't."

Malfoy frowned. "Couldn't?"

He didn't know why he didn't say something evasive and change the subject, but Malfoy's compassion was his undoing. "Over the summer I realized that I'm…that I'm gay."

There was silence, and Harry immediately felt certain that the other boy would leave him, disgusted at the news that he had been helping a fairy boy. He waited for Malfoy's hand to leave his back, where it was still absentmindedly rubbing in circles, but it didn't. The silence grew and grew until Harry felt ready to burst with it. Then, in barely more than a murmur, Malfoy told him they were more alike than they'd thought.

Harry swallowed harshly, staring at the Slytherin sitting in front of him. He was speechless. Silence dragged on again, until Malfoy narrowed his eyes. Harry knew that Malfoy was thinking about something, and thinking hard. "What?"

Malfoy dragged the hand not rubbing Harry's back through his white-blond hair, disturbing the perfectly placed strands. "She couldn't have used a simple lust potion. They only make a person lust after someone they could potentially be attracted to, and if you're not into girls, what she did would be impossible. What did you feel when she touched you?"

Harry frowned. "Heat. Intense heat that hurt really bad, and yet felt good too."

Malfoy also frowned, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "Did you black out?"

A nod was his response, and the frown got deeper. "Anything else?"

Harry was about to respond in the negative when he suddenly felt a curl of heat go through his stomach. He froze, hoping that it was just an aftershock type effect of what had happened earlier. It receded, and he was about to relax in relief when it came back, stronger. He gasped, and abruptly Malfoy's hand on his back felt like he was being touched by a pleasurable fire. It didn't hurt like the needle-like pain of the attack, but more like standing uncomfortably close to a roaring fire.

"Heat," he whispered, raising his eyes to Malfoy's.

"You already said that, Potter," Malfoy replied as he stared off into space, concentrating on whatever he was thinking.

Harry shook his head, but the other boy was still looking away from him. More heat coursed through his body and he grabbed the front of Malfoy's pristine white shirt with his hand. "Heat," he repeated.

Malfoy looked down at the hand clutching his clothes, and then up at Harry's face. He stared, apparently frozen. Harry abruptly moaned as the pleasant fire intensified, concentrating itself where Malfoy's hand had stilled on Harry's back. He arched his back and leaned into the touch. And suddenly the hand was gone. "Please," the word tore itself from Harry's mouth.

The heat continued to build inside Harry, and again he felt his vision going black. Frantically, he skittered away from the still-frozen boy in front of him. "Leave," he croaked. He knew what was going to happen if Malfoy stayed, and while he could secretly admit that he dreamed almost nightly of taking of the other boy, this was not how it was supposed to happen in any of his fantasies. And even though Malfoy had admitted to being gay, he was positive that Malfoy would never choose to touch him with a ten foot pole. Well, sexually.

Harry shut his eyes tightly and clasped his arms around his knees. The fire grew inside of him, and he felt a desperate urge to touch the other boy. He hoped Malfoy was leaving.

Suddenly, there was a hand pressed gently to Harry's cheek and he gasped. His eyes shot up to stare into Malfoy's face, which was only inches away from his own. "I know which potion she used, Potter. I can't believe someone at Hogwarts used it because it's highly illegal and extremely dangerous. They also overdosed you, because you should've only had one attack. No, you won't die, but if you don't find release again, and I mean release inside someone, you'll go mad and no one can cure it."

Fear shot through Harry, even as yet more heat burned through him. He didn't want to go mad! Why did someone do this to him? What had he ever done to deserve such a fate? He was just finally starting to live his life without all of the dangers that had plagued him the last seven years! He could've handled madness or death at the hands of Voldemort. Indeed, he had never expected to survive the war. But to fall during peace time? It was monstrously unfair and…

Malfoy interrupted his inner monologue. "Potter! Look at me. I know you don't like me, Merlin, I know you don't, but I can help you if you let me. Don't think I'm being a hero because honestly, I've wanted this for years, but not like this, and don't think I ever wanted you like this…"

Harry didn't let him finish, because he knew what the other boy was trying to say and even as he felt the heat starting to override his will completely, he felt a fierce pleasure at the knowledge that Malfoy actually wanted him. He pressed his lips to Malfoy's and the heat exploded. He groaned, straddling Malfoy's instantly pliant body.

His hands tore at Malfoy's clothes, popping the buttons of the shirt. Hands not his own were pushing Harry's robe off his body, stealing down his body to caress his hips. He groaned again and pushed Malfoy's pants and boxers off. His eyes shut, he wrapped his hand around Malfoy's hardness, and it felt just like he'd dreamed it. The other boy gasped into his mouth and shuddered, and Harry wanted to shout out his exultation at causing that reaction.

And then Harry felt his vision going black again, and this time he was begging for the blackness not to swallow him up. This time he wanted to know what was happening to his body, what his body was doing! But no, he fell deeper and deeper into oblivion until he was aware of nothing but the blackness.

* * *

A/N: I haven't been able to write a fanfiction in going on five years now, so I'm a little worried about my first attempt since the writer's block attacked me. I was going to ease back into writing by continuing one of the several stories I know I need to finish, but this idea has me firmly in its grasp and I'm afraid it won't be letting me go anything soon. I have never attempted a story like this, so I hope it's enjoyable to read. I hate putting Harry through such an attack, but it's not pointless! I promise. Also, neither character will be truly OOC, but I wanted to find a way to see how their interactions can change with how the war ended. The second chapter, which I already have several vague ideas for, will show you more of Draco's changes. And yes, in the warnings, I did put that there will be preg, mpreg, HPDM, and HPGW. Don't worry. I am a diehard HPDM fan and that will NEVER change. Ginny is a bit of a villain (ok, maybe more than a bit) here, so please remember that!


	2. Chapter 2

**After the Fire**

By: Roslyn Drycof

Disclaimer: Of course I'm not JK Rowling, and obviously I don't own any of these characters

Warning: pregnancy, male pregnancy, HPDM, minor HPGW

* * *

Harry woke to the sound of an alarm clock trilling in his ear. Groggily, he sat up and fumbled around until he had a small snitch shaped clock in his hand. He pressed the off button and set it down. Next to it lay a piece of parchment, and on top of the parchment was his wand. Looking around at his surroundings, the Arithmancy classroom, memories swamped him. The girl who assaulted him, and overpowering that awful episode was the memories of Draco Malfoy helping him. He instinctively knew that if Malfoy hadn't given himself like he had, he would probably be a broken man at this point. Instead, through the tight feeling enveloping his chest, he felt a thread of peace making itself known.

He moved his wand off the piece of parchment and picked up the note that was obviously left there by Malfoy. It read:

_Potter,_

_It was necessary to use your wand in order to help you. If you look at your wand history, it will show only these spells – scourgify, transfiguration spells for a bowl of water, a towel, the alarm clock, and fresh clothing, and a memory modification charm, muffliato memorium. I did not use obliviate, as I know you will need the memory to find the culprit of your attack. However, the spell I used will decrease the adverse emotional effect of your memories of the attack. _

_Don't get your hero panties in a bunch over taking advantage of my helpless self, as I know you are likely doing. I meant every word of what I said earlier. _

_If you need assistance in locating and dealing with your attacker, I offer my assistance. The war saw too much of crimes like this, and for one to occur during peace makes it the more heinous. _

_Malfoy_

Harry rolled up the parchment and stuck it in his robe, noticing for the first time that he was fully clothed. They were not his own clothes, the trousers and shirt being of a finer material than he typically wore. But they were clean, and bore not traces of the girl who had torn his own from his body. He was glad of Malfoy's thoughtfulness. He smiled slightly. Thoughtfulness and Malfoy almost seemed like an oxymoron, yet thoughtful he had been. Perhaps the war had changed the Slytherin for the better, or perhaps the end of the war had stripped him of his masks and now he was free to be himself for once. Either way, Harry was glad.

The small snitch clock trilled again, and Harry noticed that it was ten minutes to curfew. He would have just enough time to make it to his dormitory if he hurried. Again, another sign of Malfoy's thoughtfulness.

He gathered up his wand and the clock, stowing both in his robe pockets, before striding from the Arithmancy classroom. In nine minutes, he was entering the Gryffindor common room. Hermione and Ron were sitting on one of the couches in front of the blazing fire, one of Ron's arms draped comfortably over his girlfriend. Ginny sat in a chair across from them, writing in a small notebook. The three of them looked up when Harry started to make his way across the room. Hermione and Ron were frowning, concern lighting their eyes. Ginny was also frowning, but her own eyes held a strange mix of delight and smugness. It disconcerted Harry, furthering his suspicions that she was his attacker.

"Harry, you've been gone for hours! Where were you?" Hermione asked, motioning for him to sit beside her.

The thought of sitting close to any girl at this point in time, even his trusted friend, made him want to hyperventilate. Instead of sitting in the proffered seat, he took the remaining armchair. "I needed some time to myself."

Hermione's frown grew deeper. She opened her mouth to speak when Ginny closed her notebook with a snap and said, "Oh Hermione, don't bug Harry. He was with me most of the time."

Harry swallowed harshly. Ginny's voice was thick with the suggestion of how their time together had supposedly been spent. In that instant, he knew without a doubt that Ginny was his attacker. It was the worst sort of betrayal, because she was a part of the family that had welcomed him with open arms. She was like his sister, was his former girlfriend, and she had brutally attacked him.

Ron noticed Harry's reaction, and he questioned, "Harry?"

Harry didn't want to let his friends think that he and Ginny had fooled around, but he also didn't want them to know what had really happened. He wasn't good with lies, so he figured a little bit of the truth would be best. He quickly stood and said, "She exaggerates. I ran into her for a few minutes. Malfoy was actually helping me with something."

Ginny scowled angrily. "Malfoy? That scum?"

Harry gritted his teeth at the vehemence in her voice. "Yes, Malfoy. He's not like he was."

"Ha! He will always be a filthy Death Eater! He probably 'helped' you so he can build you up and cast some dark curse on unsuspecting you!"

A dark curse on unsuspecting him? Harry wanted to laugh, but the dark sound would only shock Ron and Hermione. "He's on magical probation, Ginny. He wouldn't risk Azkaban."

"There are ways around the Ministry, Harry!" the ginger haired girl shouted, gripping her journal tightly in her hands.

Ways around the Ministry? Perhaps she was alluding to how she had gotten her hands on the dangerous potion Malfoy had said he'd been dosed with. He would have to investigate. Malfoy would probably know of these ways to get around the Ministry. Just because he was different from the boy he'd been during the war didn't mean that he didn't retain the information he'd had during those dark times.

"I'm not going to argue with you, Ginny." He said, turning away from her and walking towards the boys' dormitory. He knew Ron and Hermione were staring after him, probably confused at his behavior. He disliked confusing them, but he was nowhere near ready to let them know of Ginny's perfidy and his own inability to keep her from doing what she'd done.

* * *

The next morning, Harry ventured from his bed after he knew everyone else was already in the Great Hall for breakfast. Instead of heading there himself, he detoured to the kitchens. He didn't feel like being around anyone else. While the memory charm Malfoy had placed on him helped to dull the mental anguish that should've by rights had him hiding in his bed, it didn't completely vanish the emotional trauma. Being surrounded other students would've had him twitching and sweating.

The house elves were glad to see him and immediately ushered him to an empty countertop where another student already sat quietly eating. It was Draco Malfoy, and he nodded politely when Harry sat down next to him. Harry should've been surprised, but he wasn't. More often than not, Malfoy had been skipping meals in the Great Hall. Harry had been starting to wonder if the blond was starving himself and was relieved to find that he was merely skipping the socializing aspect of meals at Hogwarts.

A heaping plate was set in front of Harry and he frowned at it. Physically, his stomach was demanding that he eat. Emotionally, he almost didn't want to eat.

"Eat, Potter. It will help," Malfoy said, handing him a fork.

Harry sighed and poked at a sausage. He put it in his mouth and chewed. Soon enough, half his plate was empty, and he actually did feel somewhat better. "Thanks."

Malfoy nodded, fiddling almost nervously with his mug of cider.

The signs of nervousness oddly pleased Harry. However, he didn't bring attention to Malfoy's nervousness. Instead, he said, "It was Ginny."

Malfoy's eyes flashed. "She-weasel? How did you find out?"

Harry pushed a hand through his perpetually messy hair. "When I got back to the common room, she was with Ron and Hermione. She insinuated that she and I had basically shagged, and then later while ranting about you she said there were ways around the Ministry. I know she meant you knew those ways, but it was odd that she brought it up."

Malfoy worried his lower lip between his teeth for a moment. "She would definitely have to know the ways around the Ministry to get ahold of the potion that was used. Even during You-Know-Who's rule, it was difficult to get ahold of. Now? Practically impossible. It would involve dodging the Auror sweeps, knowing who to talk to, and then there's the cost. Hundreds of galleons at least."

"That much?" Harry was surprised. Where would Ginny get that kind of money?

A nod was Malfoy's response. Harry sighed. "Is it going to be hard to find out how she got the money and who she got the potion from?"

"The money will probably be easier to trace than the potion maker. Granted, there aren't that many potions makers with that level of skill, but Knockturn Alley protects its own."

Harry remembered Knockturn Alley from his few forays there. Of course the denizens there would protect their own against outsiders. They needed to protect themselves against a Ministry bent on shutting them down after the war.

Malfoy suddenly grimaced and pressed a hand to his abdomen. Harry frowned. "Malfoy?"

The other boy shook his head, pursing his lips together in pain. His hand twitched and pressed closer to his stomach. Harry had the immediate urge to bundle the other boy away to the infirmary, but stifled it. Malfoy wouldn't appreciate such a gesture.

Moments passed, and then Malfoy's countenance eased. "Malfoy?" Harry questioned again.

Malfoy shut his eyes briefly before opening them and staring down at his plate. A full minute passed before he spoke. "We have a problem. Or rather, two problems."

Harry tensed. "What do you mean?"

The Slytherin boy took a deep breath and raised his eyes to Harry's. "She-weasel added a fertility aspect to the potion."

Fertility aspect? Harry's brain stuttered to a stop.

Malfoy continued, almost whispering, "It's not common knowledge, but the men in my family are carriers. To be blunt, it means we can get pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Harry choked out. He had to be joking!

"Yes. Basically, we have both male and female internal reproductive systems. Unless in use, the female system exists in a magical subspace. I wear a contraceptive amulet. The only way to negate it is to use a fertility potion." Draco's words had no inflection to them, no emotion. That lack of emotion was what penetrated Harry's mental block.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the other boy. Malfoy's face was paler than usual, and there was a tightness around his eyes and mouth. Those signs told Harry that while Malfoy's words were emotionless, there was great emotion swirling around inside him. "So is that why you were grabbing your stomach like that? The, uh, female system?"

Malfoy nodded almost unperceptively. "It's coming into use."

Harry knew Malfoy's underlying words. _I am pregnant._

"If you're, you know, then Ginny is too?" Harry didn't want to say the words, but he knew he had to.

Malfoy nodded again. He carefully set his utensils on his place and pushed it away from him. "Technically she won't be for another seven to ten days, until it implants. My…condition will last only seven months as opposed to the almost ten hers will."

Harry was surprised that he was absorbing all of the information Malfoy was imparting to him. By rights, he should've been unable to assimilate anything said to him. But Malfoy had a way of saying things simply, and Harry liked that. Had Hermione been stating these facts to him, he would've been lost from the get-go.

"What are we going to do?" Harry asked, fiddling with the sleeves of his robe.

Malfoy shrugged, then sighed. "We have roughly two weeks until the she-weasel can test positive. That means we have two weeks to prove her guilt."

Two weeks. That wasn't very long. "Why do we need to prove it by then?"

"School policy states that pregnant students be sent expelled, including the father. The only way you can excused from that rule is if you were forced. Typically, it's to protect women raped, but you would fall under that category."

"But I don't want it known that I was weak," Harry protested. He wanted to prove Ginny's guilt, but he didn't want to actually let everyone _know_. He'd thought that perhaps he could confront Ginny with her guilt to make her leave him alone.

Malfoy shook his head, a glare in his grey eyes. "You would rather be expelled? I'm not letting that happen!"

Harry crossed his arms. "Not letting it happen? You don't have any control over me!"

He knew his anger was irrational, as Malfoy was just trying to help. But seven years of enmity between the two made it easy to fall into old patterns. And his fear over letting anyone know just how pathetic he was to let Ginny attack him the way she did was a powerful thing.

"You can't throw your life away over something you had no control over!" Malfoy shouted, jumping to his feet.

"Oh, like you were willing to do with Voldemort?" Harry snapped, shoving away from the counter angrily.

Fire blazed in Malfoy's eyes, then settled. "But you saved me and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you repeat my mistake."

At that, Malfoy strode away. Harry was left to stare after the other boy's retreating figure, his anger fading.

* * *

A/N: I see you people following my story. Now review! Reviews make me eager to write more.

This chapter was tough because I don't want to focus too much on the actual trauma of the rape, while at the same time I want to still get the impact it has on Harry. Oh, and anyone who is wondering at the whole Draco-carrier situation, more will be explained in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**After the Fire**

By: Roslyn Drycof

Disclaimer: Of course I'm not JK Rowling, and obviously I don't own any of these characters

Warning: pregnancy, male pregnancy, HPDM, minor HPGW

* * *

Harry lay in his bed, staring up at the canopy. He wasn't really staring at it, but was deep in thought. His conversation with Malfoy kept repeating itself round and round inside his head. _Fertility aspect_. Why would Ginny add that? _Malfoy being a carrier._ What purpose was there to that genetic trait?_ Malfoy pregnant. _He didn't want the other boy to be expelled. He didn't want to be a father so young. Malfoy would look good rounded with his child…stopping that train of thought. G_inny pregnant._ He desperately didn't want to think about that.

He groaned, shoving his hands under his head. There was no longer any Dark Lord and yet here was another school plagued by difficulties. Why couldn't he just finish out his final school year in peace?

_Malfoy had wanted to finish his final school year in peace too._ That was the worst in Harry's eyes. Malfoy had been quietly working hard in his classes, avoiding fights and any problems until he'd had the misfortune of walking past the Arithmancy classroom the day before. Now he was pregnant and in danger of being expelled, and who knew what steps the Ministry would take because of his expulsion? House arrest? Magical probation for life? Azkaban?

Harry shuddered. He didn't want to think of Malfoy being thrown into Azkaban with all of the hardened Death Eaters. He had to prevent that at any cost. His hero brain started whirring, thinking hard to come up with ways to protect Malfoy from that fate.

First off, they would need to hide Malfoy's involvement after Ginny's attack. Except no, Harry didn't want to have to hide Malfoy's kindness. If the attack had to become public knowledge, he wanted to be able to have Malfoy as a support. And Malfoy deserved to be known for his good deed. Alright then. So perhaps Harry could omit the part about the second episode the potion caused. Malfoy had said only one episode was normal, and no one would be any the wiser to his being overdosed.

Secondly, they would have to disguise Draco's pregnancy. Glamour charms? Hermione would know, but he couldn't talk to her. Maybe Draco would know some since he was the second in their class, just behind Hermione.

Thirdly, he would research the Hogwarts rule book to look at any loopholes in the pregnancy expulsion rule. Malfoy had said being raped negated the expulsion, so that was one loophole. Too bad Draco couldn't be held to that rule, but he'd willingly let Harry take advantage of him. And beyond that, Harry didn't want any whispers of rape attaching itself to what Draco had done for him.

Hadn't each student been given a rule book as a first year? Harry frowned. They must've. It would be in his trunk if he still had it, which he probably did. He refused to throw away anything that reminded him of his first year at the magical school where he'd first found acceptance.

Leaping off the bed, he knelt in front of his battered trunk. It was stuffed full of items ranging from schoolbooks to clothing to the few mementos he had of his parents. "Where is it?" he muttered, digging past his Quidditch magazines.

Aha! Buried at bottom was a pristine, never been opened rulebook. He grinned triumphantly and opened it to the table of contents. Skimming his index finger down the row of words, he found what he was looking for rather quickly. _Rule 178. Student Pregnancy_. _Page 88_.

_Student pregnancy is not permitted. Any student found to be pregnant is immediately subject to the Paternitas spell and both father and mother* are to be expelled without delay. If the students are in their NEWT year, they may return for the NEWT exams at end of year. There are two exceptions to this rule - if both students are of age and married at the time that the Headmistress acknowledges the pregnancy, and if force was used when the pregnancy occurred._

_*Note: Mother may also be understood as a male carrier, since a few pureblood lines have retained the ability for male offspring to conceive and carry a child to term._

Damn. He'd hoped that the wording had precluded male carriers out of a possible oversight since the condition couldn't be that common.

Well, marriage could prevent Malfoy's expulsion, but Harry rather doubted that the other boy would agree to marry him even if he did like him somewhat. Not that Harry really wanted to get married this young anyway. Having a child was bad enough!

Ugh. A child. A baby. _Two babies_…no. He absolutely did not want to think about Ginny right now.

Malfoy had said his condition would last seven months. If this was October 14th, then that meant that he would be due probably May 14th. That was two weeks before their NEWTS. How was this going to work? If he remembered what babies were like, then he and Malfoy were going to be completely sleep deprived for their NEWTS, and how did one hide a baby anyway?

Harry figured they were probably doomed.

* * *

Dinnertime found Harry once again skipping the Great Hall and heading straight to the kitchens. He hoped to see Malfoy again, and also didn't feel like being around the other students any more than he had at breakfast. Of course, Malfoy might be in the Great Hall just to avoid seeing Harry after the way their earlier conversation had gone. He hoped not.

When he saw Malfoy head bent over a mug of what could've been broth, inhaling the fumes, his heart constricted slightly. The lights hit his fair hair in such a way that it gleamed softly and Harry wanted to run his hand over it. He resisted the urge and instead sat down next to the other boy.

Malfoy nodded at him, taking a sip from his steaming mug. The plate in front of him held a pile of saltine crackers, and Harry frowned at the sight. What an odd dinner. Shrugging, he motioned for a passing house elf to bring him a plate piled high with whatever the other students were eating. The house elf was extremely excited to be of assistance and hurriedly brought a heaping plate of food over within moments.

"Why are you eating crackers and broth?" Harry asked after he'd scooped some delicious looking roast beef into his mouth.

The other boy took another sip from his mug and set it down carefully. "My stomach is unsettled. From what I've gathered, it's one of the first noticeable signs of the condition."

Harry noticed that Malfoy didn't say the actual word, pregnancy. He was probably avoiding it so that he didn't have to think too hard about the reality of it, just like how Harry was refusing to think about Ginny.

He took another bite of his food and swallowed it, glad that he was at least able to enjoy the roast beef and potatoes that was being served this evening. "How long will it last for you?"

Malfoy shrugged, picking up a cracker and dipping it in his broth. "Maybe two months? Maybe less? I'm not sure."

Harry was now definitely glad that he didn't have to go through with that. Two months of queasiness? Not fun.

A few minutes passed in silence while they ate. Once Harry had finished his generous dinner portion, he sighed and pushed his plate away. "I looked the rule up in that handbook we got first year."

Malfoy smirked lightly. "You, read?"

Harry playfully pushed at the other boy's shoulder. "Hey. Yes, I did. Anyway, it says basically what you told me and even includes carriers. Marriage or having been forced are the only ways around it."

A frown was Malfoy's response. Harry, although he didn't want to, felt compelled to say, "We could say you were forced."

Malfoy abruptly turned to him, heat in his eyes. "Don't you dare malign what I did willingly. I may have not wanted my first time to be like that, and I may be in this fucking condition as a result, but I will not lie and say you forced me because you didn't!"

The vehemence in his voice surprised Harry. Apparently Malfoy was thinking at least partially how Harry was about it. Saying it was rape would destroy the goodness of what Malfoy had indeed done willingly. "Alright then. No saying it was force. I didn't want you to anyway."

Malfoy's eyes lost their heat. "You didn't?"

Harry could hear a softness in his voice and wanted to smile. This was definitely a different Malfoy from the one he remembered. That Malfoy would never have sounded anything but superior and condescending. "No. I mean, I think it was shit luck you finding me the way you did and then when you were just trying to help me that second episode happened." Harry had to take a breath before continuing, "But I was glad you were there for me."

A light flush spread across Malfoy's fair complexion and his eyes darted away from Harry. There was a nervous edge to his voice when he said, "Me too."

They just looked at each other for a few minutes, and then Harry cleared his throat, feeling a bit awkward. What did one say now? "Um. Did you mean what you said about wanting it for awhile?"

Malfoy snorted. "Of course you ask that. Yes."

Harry wanted him to go further, but he didn't. He supposed he would have to take the plunge, so to speak, being the Gryffindor and all. "I wasn't able to say it but I did too."

The flush came back and Harry grinned. Malfoy rolled his eyes at the grin but couldn't stop his own from curving his lips.

"There you are, Harry!" a voice called out, interrupting their moment. It was Hermione, and Harry looked over to see her climbing through the portrait with Ron.

"Hermione. Ron," he acknowledged. What were they going to say about his eating dinner with Malfoy? He hoped Ron wouldn't say anything rude, like he was prone to whenever Malfoy was around.

The two Gryffindors smiles faded when they saw Malfoy sitting there quietly. A frown furrowed Hermione's brow and dislike filled Ron's eyes. Ron opened his mouth first. "What are you doing hanging around this ferret?"

Harry could sense Malfoy tensing up next to him and he frowned. He hoped the other boy wouldn't bolt. He tended to do that a lot this year whenever Ron was in the vicinity. It had made for a very frustrated Harry the past couple months because he craved any and all glimpses of Malfoy. And now that Malfoy had helped him with the attack, and had admitted to wanting him? He didn't know if he could handle more bolting.

"We ate together," Harry said simply, unobtrusively putting his hand on Malfoy's leg as a warning to stay where he was.

Hermione stepped forward, still frowning. "Is there a reason you're avoiding eating in the Great Hall today?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe."

She obviously didn't like that answer. "Maybe? What kind of answer is that, Harry?"

Another shrug. "It's all I'm willing to give you right now."

Ron scowled, putting his arm around his girlfriend. "She was worried about you," he said accusingly.

Harry knew she was, and knew that meant Ron was too. But he wasn't ready to admit to them why he didn't want to come within ten feet of another person except for Malfoy. "I'm sorry, but I'll tell you in two weeks."

Hermione cocked her head, curious. "Two weeks? Why two weeks?"

Harry was about to answer when Malfoy abruptly stood up. The blond briefly put his hand to Harry's shoulder and squeezed before hurrying towards the portrait hole. There was a paleness to his countenance and Harry saw the tightness around his mouth. He was queasy, no doubt about that.

His friends looked after the departing Slytherin curiously, but didn't remark on his retreat. Hermione repeated her query.

"Hermione, please just trust me. Something happened that Malfoy helped me with, yes he helped me, and I can't tell you yet. I promise you that I will. Before I see McGonagall, I'll tell you."

Both Hermione and Ron's faces registered surprise. "McGonagall? That sounds serious, Harry."

Ron followed with, "Malfoy can't be trusted, even if you do think he helped you."

Harry scowled, crossing his arms. "It's enormously serious. But I have the situation under control. And Ron, he did help me and still is. He's changed."

Ron scoffed. "Ha!"

"He's been different from the first day back here and maybe you just don't want to admit that you've noticed, but you have. You had to have. But I won't sit here and debate it with you. Just trust me. Give me two weeks and I'll answer all your questions." Or most of them. Should Hermione ask any questions involving the complete extent of Malfoy's help, he would have to deflect those.

A few minutes went by while his friends considered his words and then they both nodded. If anything, after seven years of friendship they trusted him. They may not like him hiding things from him, and he knew both were much too impatient to wait two weeks, but he knew they would. They knew he wasn't going to budge. He never did.

He smiled at them and got to his feet. Making sure to stay on the side of Ron opposite Hermione, he went back to Gryffindor Tower to work on the homework he knew Hermione had been itching to get him and Ron to do ever since it had been assigned.

* * *

A/N: I'm surprised that I managed to get another chapter writing so quickly! I keep meaning to work on a chapter for another one of my stories, but I just can't bring myself to stop working on this one. I hope you're enjoying the way the story is playing out. I'm trying not to rush it, and I think I'm succeeding. Three chapters in and only a day has passed in the story timeline. Things will start to pick up, as by the end of the story I want to get to July and the birth of Ginny's child. I think there will be about 10-12 chapters in all, although there might be as many as 15 should I find enough to write about.

Thank you for the reviews on the previous two chapters. They've helped me write faster. But please, please review this chapter too! I have decided that I want at least fifteen reviews for this chapter before I update it again. That's not too much to ask, right? HOWEVER, the next update probably won't be as quick as this last one. Give me at least a week, maybe two before Chapter Four makes its way out for your enjoyment!


	4. Chapter 4

**After the Fire**

By: Roslyn Drycof

Disclaimer: Of course I'm not JK Rowling, and obviously I don't own any of these characters

Warning: pregnancy, male pregnancy, HPDM, minor HPGW

* * *

Two days later, Harry felt ready to move out of the Gryffindor Tower completely. He had always loved his boisterous housemates, but it wasn't until now that he noticed just how affectionate they really were. Slaps on the back and one armed, quick hugs from the guys when playing exploding snap, wizarding chess, or a pick up game of Quidditch. Quick hugs and light touches on the arm when talking to any of the girls. Each innocuous touch drove his tension higher and higher until he just plain bolted out the portrait hole when Hermione leaned over his shoulder to correct a spelling mistake on his Charms essay.

Guilt crashed through him as he hurried down the steps from the tower, but he felt like he was mentally coming apart at the seams. He couldn't even imagine what he would be feeling if Malfoy hadn't placed the memory modification charm on him! He grimaced, knowing it would be bad…and noticeable.

Once down in the main corridor, he pulled his invisibility cloak out of his right pocket and slipped it over his head. He had taken to carrying it to avoid Ginny as much as humanly possible. Slowing his pace, he made his way to the dungeons. By the time he arrived at the entrance to the Slytherin common room, his heart had stopped pounding and the shaking in his hands had calmed.

He followed what looked like a first or second year into the common room and made his way around the groups of students. He was surprised to see the level of camaraderie surrounding them. While not to the level of the Gryffindors, they were acting a lot more social than he would have guessed they could. Polite, somewhat reserved, but still full of genuine smiles and friendly chatter.

As he made his way down the corridor to the boy's dormitories, the thought occurred to him that were he a Slytherin, he wouldn't have felt the need to escape his dorm mates. While the Slytherins were friendly to one another, there weren't any hugs or friendly touches. They had an innate sense of respect for another's personal space.

_Not that I would ever give up my friends, but it would be nice to not want to escape them right now_, he thought.

The last door at the end of the hall stated quite simply, 8th years. Harry opened it, and was surprised to see that there was a short hallway with two doors on either side, and one at the end of the hallway. The doors on the sides had a student's name engraved on it, while the one at the end had nothing. Harry assumed it must be the bathroom. He didn't remember hearing that the Slytherins had a different style dormitory than any other House, so he concluded that the school must have decided to separate the 8th years as a way to keep them from plotting anything.

Harry walked up to the door that had _Draco Malfoy_ emblazoned on it and knocked. A few moments later, a pale Malfoy opened the door a crack and peered out. Seeing no one, he started to close the door and then abruptly paused. "Potter?" he questioned, his voice almost a whisper.

Harry drew the hood of his cloak back so that his face appeared, and Draco immediately opened the door and ushered him inside. When the door was shut, Harry slipped the cloak off fully and stuffed it into his robe pocket. He looked around at the room. It was extremely small, with only enough space for a standard sized bed, a nightstand, wardrobe, and Malfoy's trunk. Well, and a little room for a person to make their way around the furniture. "It's almost like they made it a prison cell," he said, turning to face the other boy.

Malfoy shrugged. "It reminds me how close I came to really going to prison, but didn't."

Harry ran a hand through his perpetually shaggy hair. "But they could send you to Azkaban if you were expelled, couldn't they?"

The Slytherin didn't answer for a moment, instead going to sit down on his immaculately neat bed. Finally, he said, "Yes. If I am expelled, I will be sent to Azkaban for a year, and if that were to happen, my magical probation would last my lifetime instead of until I marry a suitable, Ministry approved candidate or complete an apprenticeship in a Ministry approved field."

Harry had been unaware of all of the terms of Draco's sentence. He had left the courtroom after his testimony that summer, and had only heard through the Prophet the main points of his sentencing. "Hold on a minute. They actually will keep you on magical probation until you marry someone the Ministry approves or finish an apprenticeship? An apprenticeship lasts a minimum of four years! And the candidates they would approve for marriage are probably inexcusable!"

A sardonic smile curved Malfoy's lips. "Oh? I'm sure you're on their list. You were on the list of possible guardians to Hogsmeade."

Harry stared at him. "They gave you a list?"

"Yes. You, Longbottom, Granger, and Weasley, or a professor. Since I have no intention of spending an afternoon with a professor willingly, and your friends would probably refuse, I decided to just remain here on Hogsmeade weekends."

Harry sat next to him on the bed. He would've chosen a chair, since he didn't want to crowd Malfoy in his own room, but since the bed was the only choice, he hoped the other boy wouldn't object. "I would have gone with you."

Malfoy shifted nervously. "Yes, well, I didn't know that."

Silence descended for a moment, then Malfoy lost his nervous air and sat taller. "What brings you here this late? Curfew is in half an hour, and you could have been caught sneaking into the dungeons."

Harry shifted back on the bed until his back was pressed to the headboard and curled his legs under him. It meant more space between the two of them, yet at the same time he knew it would be a signal that he felt comfortable alone in Malfoy's personal quarters. That was important, with what he wanted to say.

"I can't be around other people, Malfoy. I'm trying, but you know Gryffindors."

Malfoy brought his own legs up onto the bed Indian-style, slowly enough that Harry knew it was a deliberate move. "Yes, they're loud, obnoxious, and so touchy-feely it makes a person gag. Yet I don't see that reaction now, and you're alone with me on my bed sitting not two feet from me."

Harry stretched out his legs until his left calf was pressed against Draco's knee. "You're the only person I can be near. Surely you noticed the other night when Ron and Hermione showed up in the kitchens."

The other boy looked down to where their bodies touched. "You weren't your usual self, yes. It hasn't improved?"

"No. Should it have? It's been three days since the attack and I still want to jump out of my skin when anyone touches me. I start sweating and trembling, and it feels like I can't breathe. I don't know what to do because I know my friends are going to notice, but I can't make it stop!" Harry ended up shouting, looking away from the blond.

A hand settled on his knee, and Harry shifted his gaze to Malfoy's. The silver eyed Slytherin was looking at him solemnly, almost sadly. Harry narrowed his eyes. "I don't want your pity, Malfoy."

Malfoy's hand lightly squeezed. "It's not pity, Harry. I understand somewhat how you feel. Toward the end of the war, anytime I saw a Death Eater mask, I would get that same reaction. I know what I went through is nothing compared to what it must be like having what's supposed to be a beautiful moment with someone you care about be about betrayal and force, but I do know that it's a life changing experience."

Harry was stunned. That had been fairly poetic, and something he never would have imagined coming out of the formerly malicious and bullying teen. He knew, instantly, that Malfoy's previous personality had been just a mask because no one could say something so empathetic and say it so sincerely. And it was sincerity shining in the other's face, Harry was sure of it. He put his hand on top of Draco's, and nodded. "I don't want to be afraid to have my friends near me. Since first year, I've come to depend on the closeness and now that I can't bear it, it's tearing me apart inside."

Draco turned his hand so that his and Harry's fingers tangled together. "Slytherins have too much reserve to be all touchy-feely like you Gryffindorks, but I can see where you would miss it if you've come to rely on it that past seven years."

Harry rolled his eyes at Draco's jab at his House, but otherwise the other boy had hit it spot on. "I don't want to unload on you, but I can't talk about this to Hermione or Ron."

"I don't mind," Draco said, then abruptly paled. He lunged off the bed and toward his trunk, fumbling with the latch. "Draco?" Harry questioned.

The other boy shook his head sharply, lifting the lid of the trunk and searching for something. Within seconds he had a glass vial and took a huge swallow of a shimmering light green potion. The effect was almost instantaneous. Color returned to Draco's face and he took a deep, calming breath as he put the vial back in the trunk.

"Anti-nausea potion. Slughorn provided it for me. Thank Merlin it's also recommended for acid reflux, so I had a plausible excuse for needing it." Draco made his way back onto the bed, this time sitting next to Harry, his back also against the headboard.

Harry smiled. "Yes, thank Merlin."

A companionable silence descended on the room, until the small clock on the wall struck the hour. Curfew. Harry tensed, but made no move to leave. He didn't want to leave and he most certainly didn't want to go back to Gryffindor Tower, however he didn't want to ask to stay. It would seem peculiar. It would be over staying his welcome, especially since he hadn't been invited over in the first place.

After a few minutes, Draco bumped his shoulder against Harry's. "You can stay, if you'd like. There's room."

Harry turned his head so that he could look into Draco's face. The silver-eyed boy was gazing at him, with a neutral expression. It was the expression Harry was coming to learn meant that Draco was hiding his true feelings. It meant that Draco really wanted Harry to stay. It made Harry immediately break into a grin. "Thanks."

A light flush colored Draco's face. "Wouldn't want Weasley to get his lights knocked out when he goes to wake you, now would we?" he quipped, shrugging lightly.

Harry's smile grew. "Oh I think you would love to see that, but no, I wouldn't want it."

Draco bumped their shoulders together again, and Harry reached over to put his hand on Draco's jaw. He drew closer to the other boy and let his thumb caress Draco's cheek. A soft sigh escaped the taller boy's lips, and he moved his head even closer.

"We didn't get to properly kiss…before." Harry hated how his voice broke slightly as his mind flashed briefly to the attack before Draco had arrived to help.

Draco's eyes widened, and he whispered, "You're ok to? I wasn't sure, with how bad you say are around others."

Harry didn't like the mention of his reaction around everyone else. It made his heartbeat accelerate for a moment, until he took a deep breath and let it out. "You're not them. Even if you hadn't helped me, I think you'd still be the only person I could be near."

Surprise shone in Draco's eyes. He moved his hand to cover Harry's own on his face, his fingers lightly caressing. "Your crush on me that bad?"

Another smile curved Harry's lips at the teasing note in the other teen's voice. "You have no idea," he replied, his voice deeper than usual. And then he swooped in and covered Draco's soft lips with his own.

A groan issued from Draco's throat and the hand holding Harry's hand to Draco's face tightened, pressing it tighter. Harry slide his tongue between Draco's lips to explore the moist heat that was Draco's mouth. Another groan, and Harry was suddenly straddling the other boy's hips. Both of them shuddered at the contact.

Harry brought his other hand to caress Draco's chest, and abruptly Draco was pulling back, a grimace on his face. "What's wrong?" Harry questioned, worried he'd done something the other boy didn't want him to do.

Draco flushed and looked away from Harry. "It's…tender," he mumbled.

Confused, Harry moved to sit beside the other boy. "What do you mean?"

The flush deepened and Draco waved a hand in front of his chest. "Here. It's tender. Another side effect of my condition."

Harry bit his lip at the mention of Draco's condition. They had both been avoiding actively mentioning it, but of course that didn't mean that it wasn't there. Again, Harry's mind swung back to his earlier thoughts of Draco's possible expulsion and the other possible outcomes. He rubbed his face, tiredly. "This feels so unreal."

Draco's nostrils flared. "It feels incredibly real to me, Potter."

"But you won't talk about it, not really. And since you won't talk about it, it seems almost like a bad dream…like the attack itself."

A moment passed, then Draco let out a sigh and nodded. "I can understand that. Could we talk about it tomorrow night? I have an early class, and I assume you'll want to escape your House again after supper?"

Harry agreed and Draco got them each a pair of pajamas out of the wardrobe in the corner. The soft fabric felt wonderful against Harry's skin, and he immediately decided that he would either steal this pair of Draco's or buy his own. Smiling at the thought of Draco's expression were he to find out Harry was contemplating making off with his probably hideously expensive pajamas, Harry slid under the covers. Draco turned out the light and crawled into the bed next to him, pressing up against Harry's side. The feel of the other boy against him made Harry happier than he'd felt in a long time. He knew then that he would spend as many of his nights there as he possibly could.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry it's taken so long. Life sort of gets in the way sometimes, and I haven't had time to update. I know this chapter was more of a filler chapter than anything driving the plot forward, but I needed to get more interaction between Harry and Draco so their actions later on will seem more plausible. Yes, they may seem somewhat OOC, but I promise that they're really not. How a couple may be together may be completely different from how they act around their friends and schoolmates. So don't worry, Draco hasn't completely lost his fire and his snarkiness, and Harry is still a stubborn Gryffindor who speaks before he thinks sometimes.

I'm hoping to have the next chapter up within the month, but please don't worry if it's not up until closer to Thanksgiving. **Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**After the Fire**

By: Roslyn Drycof

Disclaimer: Of course I'm not JK Rowling, and obviously I don't own any of these characters

Warning: pregnancy, male pregnancy, HPDM, minor HPGW

* * *

"I want to show you something."

Harry paused, turning to look at the person who had spoken. It was Draco, his fingers playing with the strap of his rucksack somewhat nervously. To the casual observer, his stance was neutral and his voice bordering on stern. But those fingers, those fingers told Harry that Draco was uncomfortable approaching him in the main courtyard.

Having been about to approach a cluster of Gryffindor upper years that included Ron and Hermione, Harry waved over to them as a signal that he wouldn't be joining them anymore. Ron's eyes narrowed suspiciously and Hermione tilted her head, a considering look in her warm brown eyes. Harry shook his head, sighing. He turned to Draco with a friendly smile. "Sure. We have a few things to discuss, anyway."

Draco nodded. They were due for the discussion about Draco's condition, and they also needed to work on what they had decided to call The Problem. The Problem, meaning specifically the Ginny Problem. However, it wouldn't be prudent to be tossing her name around everyone else.

They walked side by side down several corridors until they arrived in a part of the castle Harry had rarely ventured into previously. "Where are we?"

Draco smirked, not answering. He led them to what Harry assumed to be a standard broom closet, then opened the door. Harry raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Draco wanted to show him a dusty broom closet? Deciding to wait and see what Draco's intention really was, Harry followed the other boy through the doorway.

It wasn't a broom closet, Harry noticed immediately. It was an antechamber of sorts, and there was a taller, sturdier door at the other end of the bare, little room. However, there was no doorknob. How were they to get in?

Draco didn't seem perturbed, and placed his right hand in the center of the door where a small symbol seemed to be engraved on it. From the brief glance Harry had before it was covered, he thought it might be a phoenix.

The door made a clicking noise and swung open. Draco's expression was smug as he took ahold of Harry's hand and led him into the most luxurious room he had ever seen at Hogwarts. It was a sitting room, and had two silver upholstered couches placed conveniently before a fire that sprang into life at their entrance. The carpeting was plush, and a deep green color. The walls were stone like the rest of the castle, but mostly covered in hanging tapestries. Unlike typical tapestries, these didn't portray different battle scenes. Instead, they were filled with beautifully stitched scenes of two men, some with an infant as well. The scenes were of day to day scenarios. In one, the green robed man was stirring a potion and the red robed man was writing on a piece of parchment, the infant sitting happily on his knee.

"That's Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor," Draco said, as he hung his rucksack on a hook by the door.

Harry's mouth dropped open in surprise. "What? They hated each other!"

Draco smirked. "Apparently not enough because from what I've gathered from these rooms they were very happy here. Even had a daughter."

Harry was dumbfounded. Hadn't each of them married and had children with their wives? Hadn't they had some of the most spectacular duels and arguments Hogwarts had ever seen? It was common knowledge! So if they really had loved each other, like the tapestries on the wall were portraying quite clearly, how had they managed to hide it? And for that matter, how in Merlin's name had they had a _child_ and no one knew?

"I'll give you that they might have met up secretly and no one knew. But how did they hide having a baby? It's impossible," Harry said firmly, dropping himself onto one of the couches.

Draco sank onto the same couch, his side lightly touching Harry's. "A very genius glamour spell. And the room is cleverly disguised. If you were to take out that map of yours, and yes, I know you have a special map, it would show that we're in a broom closet. But in truth, we're in a set of six rooms."

"Six rooms?"

Clearly pleased to be continually surprising Harry, Draco smirked again. "This sitting room, a bedchamber, a study/potions room, a nursery, bathing chamber, and a courtyard."

"A courtyard? Wouldn't someone from outside see it?"

Draco shook his head, still smirking. "No. You forget the rules of magical space. The wards on the rooms hide it from all prying eyes."

Harry dropped his head onto the back of the couch, closing his eyes. He was stunned. These rooms were amazing. What he could have done the past several years had he known about them! The privacy he could have had!

"How did you find them?" he asked, opening his eyes after a moment.

The other boy's gaze shuttered slightly. "When I was looking for a way to let the Death Eaters in."

Harry frowned. Entering through the hidden courtyard would have been a brilliant way to let them in. Why hadn't Draco done it? He could have worked on the Vanishing cabinet without worry of Harry finding him, like he had in the room of requirement. "Why didn't you use it?"

Draco's eyes flared, and he shook his head firmly. "No. This was my place. As soon as I found it, I knew it was mine."

Surprised at the suddenly possessive note in the Slytherin's voice, Harry turned to look at him more closely. "Yours?"

"Yes. I found out I'm the only one who can open it, although I suppose since you're Gryffindor's legitimate heir you would be able to as well."

Harry tilted his head. "Do you mean only someone of their blood can open the door?"

Draco nodded, replying, "Yes. There were whispers in my family that we had an ancestress who was an illegitimate child of Salazar's, but until I found this place I had no idea that she was also Godric's."

It made sense. Just like one had to speak parseltongue to open the Chamber of Secrets, the door to these chambers was spelled to only allow one with Godric or Salazar's blood to enter. It was probably another way they had kept the rooms so hidden.

Silence descended, and Harry enjoyed sitting next to Draco on the admittedly extremely comfortable couch. Then after a few minutes, Harry knew they had to get to business. "Draco, you said we would discuss your condition…I mean, the baby."

Draco stiffened, then slowly relaxed. His voice was neutral when he said, "I did, yes."

Harry frowned when he didn't go any further. "What are we going to do? Can we hide it until after we graduate? Are you going to be _able_ to make it to graduation?"

A sigh exhaled from the silver-eyed teen. "I found the glamour that Salazar used, and we can cast it when it starts to become noticeable. We can hide it, and as long as there are no complications, I'll make it to graduation. Granted, I mean, the condition will be over…I mean, the baby, will be here by then."

Noticeable. At that word, Harry had looked down at Draco's perfectly flat torso and imagined it rounded with child. It was an image that he decided he liked. "Will I still be able to see it?" he blurted out, the image burned in his mind.

Draco pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. "You want to see me looking all bloated and hideous?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't think you could look hideous, Draco."

A moment of silence, and then Draco said, "Well the spell has to be cast by both of us, and that means you and I will be forced to look at it."

"I can say now that I won't see it as being forced to see it. I've been thinking, and while this is most certainly not how I planned on having a child, since I noticed you _that _way this spring, I've kind of been seeing us having kids someday. I always saw it as like ten years from now, but really only the timing has changed."

Draco seemed to consider his words, and nodded. "Once or twice, I pictured it. I just never figured it would happen for real."

Another companionable silence occurred for a few minutes, then Draco's expression darkened. "The Weasley bint is having your child too, if you haven't forgotten."

Harry hadn't, but he had been trying to not think about it. "Do you think they'll take it away from her because of what she did?"

Draco frowned, tapping the fingers of his left hand against his thigh. "I'm not sure. I don't think they can take it away just because force was used, but if she's mentally unstable, they might."

That sounded plausible. He didn't know whether he wanted to take the child away from Ginny, because he knew she did have good maternal instincts she'd gotten from her mother, but at the same time, what if what had caused her derangement about him also transferred to the child?

Suddenly, he remembered another reason he had wanted to talk with Draco. "Hey, I almost forgot. I got ahold of her journal and managed to copy a few entries that look pretty incriminating."

Draco's eyes flashed brightly. "You did? And you almost forgot? Smooth, real smooth, Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes as he dug through his rucksack to pull out a battered notebook. It was his doodle notebook, but it had been all he'd had on him when he'd found the opportunity that morning to take a peek at the journal Ginny had been carrying around since the beginning of term. It was strange, that journal. The way she carried it with her everywhere reminded him of her first year and Tom Riddle's diary, but when he'd examined it, it was definitely only an ordinary journal.

"Here," he said, opening up his notebook. He quickly skipped past the somewhat embarrassing drawings of Draco's he'd doodled in History of Magic earlier in the year, hoping the other boy didn't see them. Draco's amused smirk told him he definitely saw them, but wisely, he didn't comment. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the first page of notes he'd gathered from Ginny's journal.

"I used this ingenious spell Ron and I found sixth year, where you can point at a passage in a book and it will magically copy it for you. You can copy just a sentence, or a whole page."

Draco snorted. "And I'm sure you two copied as much as you could to get out of thinking for yourselves on essays."

Harry shrugged, defensively. "Coming up with twelve inches on the Goblin War of 1213 isn't exactly easy, you know. Besides, I only ever copied sentences. Hermione was insane about checking our work for blatant plagiarism."

"As well she should, you could've gotten expelled for that," Draco replied, crossing his arms.

Yes, well. "Well anyway, it's the perfect spell for what we need now."

The other boy nodded his head once in agreement and reached for the notebook. Harry let him have it, pointing to the first entry he'd copied. "Start here, September 1st."

_-September 1__st__,_

_Harry won't get back together with me. There has to be someone else. I mean, he loves me, I know he does. We're meant to be together. I just have to remind him how perfect we are together. I've started following him whenever I can. I don't think he's noticed yet. I haven't seen him meeting anyone, but he does have his cloak. Maybe he's sneaking out after curfew? Not that I don't do my own sneaking about, but mine's all for a good cause. I was talking to Romilda Vane and I think I've figured out a way to make Harry see the truth._

"What truth? That she's absolutely fucking nuts?" Draco burst out, raising his eyes from the notebook to look at Harry in disbelief.

Harry shrugged. "She probably means the truth that I love her, since she obviously believes I still do. Keep reading."

_-September 6__th__,_

_I've figured it out. This summer, I saw this American muggle movie on Hermione's telly where a bunch of girls made a pact to get pregnant by their boyfriends. I know Harry wants a family of his own, so if I have his baby he'll realize that we'd make the perfect family. Because we would. Harry Potter, hero and brilliant Auror with his amazing wife Ginny Potter, and their beautiful children. Romilda gave me this book on love potions, but I know I don't need a love potion. He already loves me. But maybe a lust potion to get him motivated? Yeah, that sounds like an idea. _

Draco's eyes stopped moving across the lines of words. "Are you kidding me? She thinks if you knock her up you'll suddenly marry her?"

He made a disgusted sound and continued reading while Harry just watched him read.

_-September 14__th__,_

_I sold a bunch of pictures Colin Creevey had taken during fifth year. He'd hidden them in the common room, but I remembered when he hid them. It's sad he'd dead, because he took some great pictures of Harry. The ones in the quidditch showers were the best. Anyway. That got me two hundred galleons, and since the joke shop is doing so good, my brother loaned me another five hundred. This potions maker in Hogsmeade hooked me up with this woman that will make what I need. The potion is brilliant really. Not just a lust potion, because I overhead Seamus and Harry talking about how Harry suddenly thinks he likes guys – complete bullshit, but he's confused. He'll realize how ridiculous that is. I mean, him…gay? No way. But I'm not taking any chances. So this one doesn't care about if you like guys or girls. And it's clear, undetectable in the body, and odorless and tasteless. Perfect, right? Ah, I'm so brilliant! I should be first witch in my year._

That was all Harry had managed to copy before Ginny had reappeared in the room. While it wasn't a lot, it was certainly enough to incriminate her…as long as when the time for proof came, they had access to the original journal in Ginny's handwriting. It also showed that she wasn't exactly sane.

"She is definitely fucking nuts," Draco muttered, closing the notebook and handing it back to Harry.

Harry put it away and stretched out his legs. "Yeah. I noticed. I don't know how she overhead me and Seamus though. I swear we were in a deserted alcove."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Deserted alcove?"

Harry flushed red. "Not what you're thinking. I just didn't want to be heard talking about it, and you know he's bi."

"I've heard rumors," Draco agreed.

"Yeah well, I talked it over with him and it really helped me figure out all my feelings about you."

A teasing smile lit Draco's eyes. "Feelings, huh? And here I thought it was pure animal lust."

Harry let out a bark of laughter. "Not that there isn't some of that going on, but I think you know it's more than that."

Draco curved his lips into a smile that Harry was delighted to see, because they were definitely rare coming from the Slytherin. "Yes, well, as much as that sounds like an interesting topic to talk about, I would much rather discuss this animal lust of yours."

Almost immediately, Harry's heartbeat accelerated and he felt a curl of arousal shoot through his body. There was definitely a welcoming light to Draco's eyes, and Harry grinned to see it. But he remembered how Draco had pulled away the night before when Harry had touched his chest. He jerked his head down, pointing his gaze at Draco's front.

Draco bit his lip, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Just be careful and it'll be fine."

Harry felt a thread of embarrassment go through him as well, as he asked, "You said it's just tender, right?"

Draco flushed. "Yeah. They don't look any different if that's what you're asking. Not like a girl's or anything."

That answered what Harry was trying to ask. Not that he would have stopped being attracted to Draco if he did have, ah, breasts, but that would have been kind of weird. More than kind of. He rather liked Draco's firm pectoral muscles from what he'd seen after the final battle of Hogwarts.

"Well then, embarrassing questions aside, I think we have something we were about to do that I hear is quite fun," Harry teased, leaning towards the still blushing Draco.

They spent the rest of the evening and actually the entire night in those chambers. At dinnertime, Draco showed Harry the sideboard against the wall of the sitting room where food magically appeared when tapped with a wand. After dinner they did their homework together, Draco helping Harry with his potions essay and Harry helping Draco with his defense essay. Draco was brilliant at potions and most spell work, but since he had spent most of his life learning offensive spells, defensive spells weren't his strong point. Then after that, they finished the evening lounging in the spacious bedchamber, alternately talking and exploring each other's bodies before falling asleep together.

* * *

A/N: All right, another chapter! I didn't realize how slow I would be making the pacing of the story, but there is a lot that needs to be covered in that two week window until Ginny can test positive. After that, the rest of the story will flow a lot faster. At this point, I plan on ending it after about twelve chapters? Possibly up to fifteen.

Please review! The more reviews I get, the more motivated I am because reviews are how I know people are enjoying reading my work! And I love all of my lovely reviewers :)


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